Harrison Ford Takes on First Animated Movie in Secret Life of Pets 2

Harrison Ford has landed his first ever role in an animated movie. The 75-year-old actor has officially boarded the cast of The Secret Life of Pets 2. According to a new report, Ford will be voicing the lead character in the upcoming animated sequel. The first movie's lead character was voiced by comedian Louis C.K. However, Illumination Entertainment parted ways with the star following a bunch of sexual misconduct allegations last year.

It's rather amazing that Harrison Ford, whose career as an actor spans more than 50 years and includes major roles in legendary franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, has never voiced a role in an animated movie. This is a huge get for The Secret Life of Pets 2, especially since he isn't just voicing a small character in the movie. He's going to be the lead, which raises some questions about the direction this movie is heading. No details about his character have been revealed at the present time and plot details for the sequel are currently being kept under wraps, but we should be learning more in the relatively near future now that the star is in place.

In addition to Harrison Ford, the sequel has also added new talent in the form of Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), Patton Oswalt (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Nick Kroll (The League) and Pete Holmes (Crashing). Returning cast members include Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Eric Stonestreet, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress and Bobby Moynihan. So aside from Ford, there is a lot of star power involved. It will be interesting to see how they address the absence of Louis C.K.'s character though. The script comes from Brian Lynch (Minions) with director Chris Renaud returning after helming the first movie. Illumination's CEO Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, his frequent collaborator, are producing.

The Secret Life of Pets was a surprisingly huge hit for Illumination in 2016. The family-friendly animated movie grossed $875.4 million worldwide. Considering the reported $75 million budget, that made the movie quite profitable for the studio. The movie was also received reasonably well by critics, currently boasting a 74 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Secret Life of Pets 2 has been given a June 7, 2019, release date. That puts it right in the heart of the summer movie season next year. The first movie was also released in the summer during the month of July and went on to find great success.

Next up for Illumination is The Grinch, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular holiday grump. As for Harrison Ford, he's gearing up to have one last go as everyone's favorite adventuring archeologist in Indiana Jones 5, which begins shooting in the U.K. next April with Steven Spielberg once again at the helm. So he'll be squeezing in The Secret Life of Pets 2 before getting the whip back in his hands. This news comes to us courtesy of Deadline.

Writer of various things on the internet (mostly about movies) since 2013. Major lover of popcorn flicks. Avid appreciator of James Bond, Marvel and Star Wars. Has a tremendously fat cat named Buster and still buys CDs. I’ve got my reasons.